Panel saw perhaps...£5k

[mahomo59]

Currently use a sheet supplier to cut our sheet goods and it's very good! However it costs a fair amount and we have to have all our ducks in a row with lead times and cutting list etc. Current costs is about £300 per month, typical example 16 sheets of 18mm and various other sheet thicknesses, £211 in cutting for one kitchen. But like I said it's spot on.
The other theory being if we buy a pallet of sheets off same supplier, we'd save almost £500!
Lifting the sheets is fine as there is two of us with a third on the way and room for said saw and sheet storage.
Had a quick look on Axi...

http://www.axminster.co.uk/axminster-in ... l-ax966284

Majority of cuts will be 8x4 in birch and MFC not really needing the 10x5 capacity, and we can get these large sheets cut elsewhere if required.

What are your recommendation folks? Typical builds, kitchens and wardrobes

 

[heimlaga]

For that amount of money you cold get a little used secondhand Altendorf or Panhans or Martin or Griggio or whatever.

 

[RobinBHM]

If it was me I would ring around your local machinery dealers and see if there are any decent second hand machines for that sort of money. SCM, minimax, Altendorf spring to mind. Most machines will be 3.2m as thats pretty much standard, but a few 2.5m are around, there isnt really any price difference.

A 3.2m machine will let you cut jumbo mfc of course.

Dont forget, you might be paying £300 per month, but you will the labour cost if you bring it house. Having a panel saw on hand though is very useful though and they can do lots of things very accurately.


http://www.twswood.co.uk/machinery/pane ... g-machine/

http://www.mwmachinery.co.uk/used-scm-si320-panel-saw

I dont know what make the axminster machine is, I know they have used scm minimax machines axminster labelled in the past. Axminster are of course very good in terms of customer service. Scott and Sargeant probsbly have a similar machine to the axminster in their itech branded range.

 

[mahomo59]

Cheers guys, we'll make some phone calls keep you all posted.

 

[custard]

You'd likely find a Digital Read Out on both the rip and the cross cut fences to be a useful benefit. If you need to remake a component then it'll be absolutely identical and fully interchangeable with something you cut yesterday or last year. Different people often read a visual scale in different ways, with their own individual ways of compensating for parallax error, and even if they're following the same method it's difficult to visually read better than a quarter of a mill. A DRO will give you 0.1mm, and it will be consistent across any number of operators.

The Axminster machine looks the part, but maybe that's just a nice paint job? I wouldn't take the chance, £5k and a bit of patience will get you a second hand Alterndorf or Martin with DRO's, and you absolutely know that those machines will get the job done.

Good luck!

 

[doctor Bob]

Don't buy the Axi, there are far better saws out there secondhand.
I have an Altendorf WA80, 3.2m bed, got it 4 years old £5500. Rolls royce of saws, or a Martins but I never see them secondhand.
How you function without a saw I have no idea.
I run mine all day long, usually me cutting up for the lads.

 

[mahomo59]

Thanks

It's a struggle, currently about being organised. But doesn't always work, time to invest.

http://scosarg.com/altendorf-wa80-panel-saw

I'll give them a call in the morning.

Doubt the budget will stretch to DRO

 

[Myfordman]

There is a wall panel saw for sale over on Workshop UK. Any good?